“I’m not suicidal or something,” Pitt said. “There’s still much beauty in the world and a lot of love. And a lot of love to be given. It’s all right. It’s just life.”

For the Academy Award-winning producer, he says that the one character flaw that has caused more trouble in his life is a swollen ego.

“Hubris is a trap and it’s the trap of every great nation that has been number one for too long. You start believing your own stink,” Pitt said. “Anytime I’ve gotten in trouble, it’s because of my own hubris.”

This quality about Brad was what drew him to star in Netflix's War Machine, which debuts on May 26. The film takes a slightly fictionalized approach to the story of four-star Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal. He said that the complexity of portraying a lifetime military man like McChrystal, whom Pitt says he connected because of their "hubris," was what attracted him to the Netflix movie.

“The degree of difficulty on this one was ten,” said Pitt, “which is what makes it worth it for me to go get in front of the camera now.”

During the interview, Brad Pitt also hinted that his days in front of the camera might be numbered.

“I feel myself as I’m older gravitating more to the producing side than being in front of the camera,” said Pitt. “It’s a big commitment, a film, and it does take you away from your family. I just have to balance that. It’s not less important, itself, it’s just not as important as family. War Machine I loved because it’s after something and we don’t know where we’re going to end up. It’s a delicate tightrope to walk.”